Method and apparatus for managing multiple media services

ABSTRACT

A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, obtaining a group of facial objects detected from an image captured by a camera coupled with a media device where the facial objects correspond to a plurality of users, determining authentication information for each of the plurality of users based on the facial objects, and providing the authentication information to a group of content service systems for enabling the media device to access aggregated media services from the group of content service systems. Other embodiments are disclosed.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for managingmultiple media services.

BACKGROUND

Contract based streaming service providers and cable service providerstypically require unique user ID's and passwords to gain access tocontent. As the number of available content sources continues to grow,this could result in a single user having several passwords and loginsfor different content sources which may inhibit the user's ability toaccess content from locations other than the user's home.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B depict illustrative embodiments of a system forproviding aggregated media services;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method operating inportions of the systems described in FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system thatprovides aggregated media services;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal forinteracting with the communication systems of FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B and 4;

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device; and

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments which enable users to take their media service access withthem for use at any location using any devices, which may or may not beassociated with the users. In one or more embodiments, image patternrecognition can be used for authenticating a user (e.g., based on facialobjects) to allow the user to access his or her services remotely or canbe used for authenticating multiple users for generating an aggregatedmedia services. In one or more embodiments, the aggregated mediaservices can be generated based on authentication of multiple users at asingle location where the multiple users are associated with multiplecontent service systems. In one or more embodiments, apportioned billingcan be generated for the aggregated media services.

In one or more embodiments, a media device connected with a camera cancapture one or more images of users in a viewing area and can send theseimages (or extracted facial objects from the images) to a translationsystem, which can be a remote server or other device. The translationsystem can identify content service systems associated with each facialobject and can send a user ID and password for each content servicesystems for each user to a media center/content aggregator of the mediadevice. The media center/content aggregator can use the IDs andpasswords to access the content of each service. In one or moreembodiments, the media center/content aggregator of the media device cancombine available content from multiple content service systems and canpresent the available content for selection in a single user interface.In this example, when a particular movie or other media content isselected, the media center/content aggregator can initiate a contentstream from an appropriate content service system.

In one or more embodiments, when media services are available from twodifferent sources (e.g., video-on-demand content for different serviceproviders having different available movies), a selection menu candisplay the services to simplify a selection, and the services can beselected from a desired source. The selection can be based on user inputand/or can be based on other factors including an analysis of imagequality, streaming quality, and relationships between content sourcesand the network provider (e.g., billing or data usage arrangements,limits on user accounts), and so forth.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a server having amemory to store computer instructions, and a processor coupled with thememory. The processor, responsive to executing the computerinstructions, performs operations including obtaining a group of facialobjects detected from an image captured by a camera coupled with a mediadevice, where the image is captured of a viewing area of the mediadevice, where the viewing area includes a plurality of users, and wherethe facial objects correspond to the plurality of users. The processorcan determine identification information for each of the plurality ofusers based on the facial objects and can identify a group of contentservice systems associated with subscription plans for the plurality ofusers based on the identification information. The processor candetermine authentication information for each of the plurality of usersbased on the identification information and can provide theauthentication information to the group of content service systems forenabling access to a group of media services from the group of contentservice systems. The processor can filter out redundant media servicesamong the group of media services to generate aggregated media services.The filtering can include choosing a selected redundant media servicefrom among the redundant media services for inclusion in the aggregatedmedia services based on satisfying a quality of service threshold. Theprocessor can enable the media device to access the aggregated mediaservices.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a media device havinga memory to store computer instructions, and a processor coupled withthe memory. The processor, responsive to executing the computerinstructions, performs operations including obtaining a first imagecaptured by a camera coupled with the media device, where the firstimage is captured of a viewing area of the media device, and where theviewing area includes a plurality of users. The processor can applyfacial pattern recognition to the first image to detect first facialobjects in the first image, where the first facial objects correspond tothe plurality of users. The processor can identify a group of contentservice systems associated with subscription plans for the plurality ofusers and can provide the first facial objects to the group of contentservice systems for authentication and access to a group of mediaservices from the group of content service systems, where redundantmedia services among the group of media services are filtered out togenerate aggregated media services. The processor can provide theaggregated media services at the media device and can obtain a secondimage captured by the camera, where the second image is captured of theviewing area. The processor can apply the facial pattern recognition tothe second image to detect second facial objects in the second image andcan compare the first facial objects with the second facial objects todetect an additional facial object corresponding to an additional userthat was not among the plurality of users. The processor can identify anadditional content service system associated with an additionalsubscription plan for the additional user and can provide the additionalfacial object to the additional content service system forauthentication and access to an additional media service from theadditional content service system, where the additional media service isincluded in the aggregated media services to generate adjustedaggregated media services. The processor can provide the adjustedaggregated media services at the media device.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure is a method that includesobtaining, by a server, a group of facial objects detected from an imagecaptured by a camera coupled with a media device, where the facialobjects correspond to a plurality of users. The method includesdetermining, by the server, authentication information for each of theplurality of users based on the facial objects. The method includesproviding, by the server, the authentication information to a group ofcontent service systems for enabling the media device to accessaggregated media services from the group of content service systems. Themethod includes monitoring, by the server, utilization of the aggregatedmedia services at the media device. The method includes determining, bythe server, a fee for the utilization of the aggregated media servicesat the media device based on the monitoring. The method includesapportioning the fee among the plurality of users to generate a group ofapportioned fees, and providing the group of apportioned fees to serviceprovider billing systems associated with subscription plans for theplurality of users.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 100that can provide communication services, including aggregated mediaservices from any number of content service systems 195 based onauthentication information associated with any number of users 101. Thecommunication services can be provided at a communication device, suchas a media center/content aggregator which can be a media device 106.The media device 106 can be various types of computing devices,including a set top box, a personal computer, a mobile device, and soforth. The communication services, which include the aggregated mediaservices, can be various types of services, including voice, videoand/or data services. As an example, the communication services and/orthe aggregated media services can include providing access to mediacontent such as audio content, moving image content such as 2D or 3Dvideos, video games, virtual reality content, still image content, andcombinations thereof through various means including broadcast,multicast, and/or unicast, including video-on-demand. The services canalso include voice and/or video calls and/or conferencing, accessingand/or sharing personal media content, internet access, interactiveservices (e.g., interactive internet protocol television services, cableand/or satellite services), and so forth.

In one embodiment, system 100 can allow a single user to access his orher media services at a remote location via image pattern recognition(e.g., facial objects of the user) applied to one or more imagescaptured of the single user at the remote location. The image patternrecognition can be utilized for authentication of the single user sothat one or more media devices at the remote location can access mediaservices for the single user (e.g., media services that are associatedwith a subscription for the single user at a different location).

In one embodiment, system 100 can allow multiple users to access theirmedia services (or a portion thereof) at a remote location via imagepattern recognition (e.g., facial objects of the users) applied to oneor more images captured of the users at the remote location. The imagepattern recognition can be utilized for authentication of the users sothat one or more media devices at the remote location can access mediaservices (or portions thereof) for the users (e.g., media services thatare associated with subscriptions for the users at a different locationsand/or different service providers).

The communication system 100 can provide for a decentralized process, inwhich captured or otherwise retrieved authentication data (e.g., afacial object generated from a captured image of the face of user 101)can be sent directly from the media center/content aggregator of themedia device 106 to various content service systems (or source devices)195 and used in place of the authentication information (e.g., user IDand password) of the user. The authentication can be performed for anynumber of users and at any time, including periodically, responsive to arequest, and/or responsive to a triggering mechanism such as user motiondetection or user sound detection when a new user enters a viewing areaof the media device 106.

In one or more embodiments, the media device 106 can perform imagepattern recognition to detect and extract facial objects for users fromone or more images captured or otherwise retrieved by the media device(e.g., via a camera coupled thereto). In one or more embodiments, thecontent service system 195 that receives the facial objects canadditionally perform image pattern recognition to compare the facialobjects with stored facial objects in order to authenticate the user101.

In one or more embodiments, this exemplary process can be performedwithout third party action or involvement. For instance, an ID andpassword (or other authentication information) of the user 101 may beknown only to the user and the content service system(s) 195. In one ormore embodiments, this exemplary process can request or otherwisedetermine content service systems 195 to which a user 101 is subscribed.For example, a user 101 can manually (e.g., via user input such as atext input and/or voice command) identify their content service andcorresponding content service systems 195 so that the facial object orother captured authentication data can be transmitted to the identifiedcontent service systems 195.

In another example, other techniques can be utilized to determine thecontent service systems 195 to which to send the captured authenticationdata (e.g., facial object), such as based on a probability ofsubscription such as where one or more content service systems have alarge market share of subscribers in the particular location. Anothertechnique for determining the appropriate content service systems 195 ofthe user 101 can include monitored history. For instance, the mediadevice 106 may identify the user, such as based on the facial object,and may consult stored history information for that user, includingcontent service system requests sent out in the past. The stored historyinformation can be located at the media device 106 and/or storedremotely, such as at a remote server.

Once the authentication data (e.g., facial objects) is provided from themedia device 106 to the content service system(s) 195 and theauthentication based on the facial objects or other authentication datais performed (e.g., via an image pattern recognition comparison withstored facial objects for the user 101), then access to the mediaservices can be enabled for the user at the media device 106. Forexample, the access can be enabled directly from the content servicesystem 195 to the media device 106. In another embodiment, the access tothe media service can be enabled in conjunction with other mediaservices of other users that have been authenticated via the mediadevice 106 to generate aggregated media services at the media device.The aggregated media services can be generated in conjunction with anynumber of content service systems 195 and any number of users 101 thathave been authenticated at the premises where media device 106 islocated.

In one or more embodiments, the aggregated media services can begenerated from multiple content service systems that authenticatemultiple users 101 based on selections of media services from amongavailable media services. For instance, a group of users 101 can beauthenticated (e.g., directly) by a group of content service systems 195via facial object recognition for available services at the group ofcontent service systems. The group of users 101 can make selections ofdesired services from among the available services and the selectionscan be bundled into aggregated media services that are provided to themedia device 106. The desired services selection can be made in a numberof different ways. For instance, the media device 106 can receiveservice options from the group of content service systems 195 and canpresent the service options in a Graphical User Interface (GUI). The GUIcan be in various formats and can include samples of the service, suchas thumbnails, video clips, icons, and so forth.

In one or more embodiments, the service options can also includerecommendations for services. The recommendations for media services canbe based on various criteria, including user profile information,individual account recommendations, previous group viewing history,contextual information, and so forth. The service recommendations andservice options can also include other information such as cost and/orbilling information (e.g., apportioned billing or single billing to asingle subscriber plan) and can be based on other factors such asnetwork load, bandwidth availability, and so forth.

In one or more embodiments, redundant media services can be filtered outof the selection options and/or the aggregated media services. Forexample, a first user 101 may have a first services subscription thatincludes broadcast channels and video gaming. A second user 101 may havea second services subscription that includes video gaming and telephoneservices. Aggregated media services can be generated that include thebroadcast channels and the video gaming from the first servicessubscription and the telephone services from the second servicessubscription, where the video gaming of the second services subscriptionis filtered out as being redundant. The factors for determining whichredundant services to retain and which to filter out can vary and caninclude satisfying a quality of service threshold (e.g., based on imagequality and/or streaming quality), cost, network traffic or conditions,and so forth. For example, monitoring of the network can be performedand various devices within the network (including end user devices,service provider devices, and so forth) can retrieve pre-determinedand/or dynamically generated quality thresholds (or other thresholds),so that the monitored data can be compared with the thresholds formaking a filtering determination. For instance and continuing with theabove example, the video gaming of the second services subscription mayhave been filtered out based on a determination that the video gaming ismore expensive or there are network issues with the particular contentservice system that results in increased latency.

In one or more embodiments, the filtering of redundant media services ofthe aggregated media services can be an on-going process such that theselected redundant media service is monitored to provide for maintainingthe criteria that caused it to be selected (e.g., satisfying image andstream quality threshold). In this example, if the monitoring determinesthat the selected redundant media service is no longer satisfying theselection criteria then a previously filtered out media service (from adifferent content service system 195) can replace the selected redundantmedia service. For instance, a list of available but filtered outservices can be stored and accessed upon a detection that a threshold isno longer being met by one of the services. A transfer of that servicewith one of the available but filtered out services (e.g., a comparableservice type such as both being VOD services) can then be performed.

FIGS. 2A and 2B depict illustrative embodiments of a communicationsystem 200 that can provide communication services, including aggregatedmedia services from any number of the content service systems 195 basedon authentication information associated with any number of the users101. The communication services can be provided at the media device 106.System 200 can represent a centralized process, where the captured orotherwise retrieved authentication data (e.g., a facial object generatedfrom a captured image of the face of user 101) can be provided from themedia device 106 to a translation system 230 which uses theauthentication data to lookup or otherwise identify authenticationinformation (e.g., login and password) for each service for which theuser has a subscription. In one or more embodiments, an identificationof desired services and/or the corresponding authentication informationcan be sent directly to the content service systems 195 or they can besent back to the media center/content aggregator of media device 106.

In one example, if the identification of desired services and/or thecorresponding authentication information (e.g., user ID and passwordidentified from the facial objects) are sent directly to the contentservice systems 195 from the translation system 230, the mediacenter/content aggregator of media device 106 can access the service(s)in a number of different ways. For instance, the media center/contentaggregator of media device 106 can utilize the translation system 230for obtaining access to the aggregated content service such that theaccess is by way of the translation system as shown in FIG. 2A. In thisexample, the aggregation of the media services from the multiple contentservice systems 195 can be performed at the translation system 230, atthe media device 106 or at both (e.g., in a distributed process such asthe translation system aggregating all services associated with videoand data and the media device aggregating all services associated withvoice). In one embodiment, the translation system 230 can monitor use ofthe aggregated media services so that historical information can bemaintained, such as to generate future recommendations for mediaservices to be included in future aggregated media services.

In another example, the translation system 230 can receive (or otherwisedetermine) the IP address of the media device 106 and provide the mediadevice's IP address along with the determined authentication information(e.g., user ID and password) to the corresponding content servicesystems 195 to allow or otherwise enable the media center/contentaggregator of the media device 106 to access each of the media servicesdirectly as shown in FIG. 2B. In yet another embodiment, the user ID andpassword (or other authentication information) which are determined bythe translation system 230 from the facial objects (or otherauthentication data) can be sent back to the media center/contentaggregator of the media device 106 so that the content service systems195 can be accessed directly by the media device 106 (via the mediadevice sending the user ID and password directly to each of the contentservice systems).

In one or more embodiments, the translation system 230 can be owned,managed or otherwise operated by a third party (e.g., a remote server orgroup of remote servers), by an entity that also acts as one of thecontent service systems 195, and/or by a collection of content servicesystems that work cooperatively to streamline access to all or a portionof their services. In one or more embodiments, the user 101 can beprovided with a desired level of anonymity in obtaining the mediaservice(s). For instance in one embodiment, the face (or other capturedauthentication data) of user 101 may only be known (e.g. stored forpurposes of performing an image pattern recognition comparison) by thetranslation system 230 and not by the content service system 195.

In one or more embodiments, a user 101 can access their services, suchas part of an aggregated media service that includes services of otherusers, without the user having their own device(s) with them when theuser is accessing the content service from alternate locations (e.g.,via media device 106). In one or more embodiments, a user 101 can accesstheir services, without the need to update authentication informationand/or without the need to update software on a device to receive theservices.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method 300 that can beperformed by one or more of the devices of systems 100 and 200, as wellas other devices described in this disclosure. Method 300 can beperformed with more or less than the steps illustrated in FIG. 3 and theexemplary embodiments can include rearranging of these steps. Method 300or portions thereof can also be combined with other functions ortechniques described with respect to the exemplary embodiments. Method300 can begin at 302 where authentication data is captured or retrievedwith respect to the media device 106. For instance, the media device 106can be a set top box coupled with a camera that captures image(s) of aviewing area (e.g., a living room) of the media device. At 304, theimage can be analyzed, such as through use of facial patternrecognition, to detect facial objects for each of the users. The imageanalysis can occur at the media device 106 and/or at another device,such as at one or both of the translation system 230 and the contentservice systems 195.

At 306, the facial objects can be utilized for authentication of theuser for the media services. For example, stored facial objects can beretrieved and compared with the captured facial objects to detect amatch and determine corresponding authentication information (e.g., auser ID and password) from that match. In one or more embodiments, thedetermined authentication information, such as a user ID and password,can be provided to the content service systems 195 for authorization andenabling access to the media services. In other embodiments, the facialpattern recognition comparison can be performed by the content servicesystems 195. In one or more embodiments, the facial pattern recognitioncomparison can be facilitated based on other information obtained by themedia device 106. The other information that facilitates the facialobject comparison can be user input (e.g., a text input or a voicesignal that provides additional identifying information). The otherinformation can be image information associated with the viewing area,such lighting conditions, detected movement of the user during the imagecapture, and so forth. In one or more embodiments, an authenticationfailure can trigger capturing one or more additional images. In oneembodiment, instructions can be generated and presented at the mediadevice when an authentication failure has occurred, such as instructinga user to manually provide additional identification information orinstructing a user to change his or her position within the viewing areaso that another facial object can be captured of the user.

In one or more embodiments at step 308, a determination oridentification of content service systems 195 or preferred contentservice systems can be made. For example, if the media device 106 isperforming the facial pattern recognition to generate the facial objectsfor transmitting directly to a group of content service systems, thenthe media device 106 can also determine the content service systems 195to which the facial objects are to be transmitted. This determinationcan be performed in a number of different ways, including requestinguser input (e.g., text input and/or voice inputs), analyzing past mediaservices that were authenticated at the media device, performing aninitial facial pattern recognition comparison utilizing facial objectsstored at the media device that are indexed to content service systemsutilized in the past, and so forth.

At 310, access to the media services can be enabled by the group ofcontent service systems according to the authentication process of steps302-306. At 312, a determination can be made as to whether there areredundant media services that are being enabled for the group of usersfrom the multiple content service systems. The redundancy can bemeasured at different levels and does not need to be exactly the samemedia services. For instance, first and second video-on-demand servicesthat include high-definition movies that are new releases may bedetermined to be redundant even though there may be different moviesavailable with each of the services. In one or more embodiments, theredundancy can be measured based on a degree of redundancy thatconsiders the percentage of overlap between the services, such as thepercentage of the same movies accessible, the percentage of the samevideo games accessible, and so forth. If it is determined that there isno redundancy in media services among the aggregated media services thenat 314 the aggregated media services can be made available at the mediadevice 106. If on the other hand, a redundancy of media services isidentified then at 316 a filtering process can be applied to theredundant media services to select one of the redundant media services.The criteria applied for the selection among the redundant mediaservices can vary and can be based on one or more of quality (e.g.,image quality and/or streaming quality), cost, network conditions,service provider agreements, user profiles, user preferences, and soforth.

At 318, billing for the aggregated services can be performed. Thebilling can be performed in a number of different ways. For example, thecontent delivery cost can be apportioned amongst the users or a portionthereof to share the percentage of the cost associated with their usage.In one embodiment, a billing system can charge the appropriate amount(e.g., based on user input) to each user participant and then pass thatalong to the individual responsible for paying the network provider orto the network provider directly. In another embodiment, the contentdelivery cost can be apportioned equally to all of the users. In yetanother embodiment, one or more users of the group of users can beapportion some of the bill even though the one or more users did notutilize their subscription plan or their corresponding services system195 for providing the aggregated media services (e.g., where all of themedia services available to the one or more users was redundant servicesthat were filtered out because a better available service was chosen).In one or more embodiments, the costs associated with media content(e.g., a video-on-demand licensing charge for a new release) can beapportioned amongst the users or a portion thereof, similar to theapportioning described with respect to the content delivery costs.

In one or more embodiments, method 300 can generate recommendations forthe aggregated media services. The recommendations can be based onvarious information and factors, including user profile information,individual account recommendations, previous group viewing history,contextual information, and so forth. This type of information may beemployed to provide recommendations at a higher level as well. Ratherthan suggesting specific content, the method 300 can also recommendcontent types, genres, sources, and so forth.

In one or more embodiments, other identification techniques can beutilized, in combination with the facial recognition or in place of thefacial recognition, such as other forms of biometric identification(e.g. voice, fingerprint, and so forth), mobile device identification,user input of a username and password (e.g., via text input or voicecommand), and so forth.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 400for delivering media services. The communication system 400 canrepresent an interactive television system, including an InternetProtocol Television (IPTV) media system. Communication system 400 can beoverlaid or operably coupled with one or more of systems 100 and 200 asanother representative embodiment of communication system 400.

In one or more embodiments, communication system 400 can provideaggregated media services at one or more communication devices based onavailable services to a group of users, such as based on subscriptionplans for the users. The communication system 400 can enableauthentication based on facial objects, biometric parameters and/orother identification information. In one or more embodiments, theauthentication can be performed without the user(s) providing userinputs, such as passwords and/or identification information. In anotherembodiment, the authentication can be based on image and/or voicerecognition with or without user inputs.

As an example, communication system 400 can enable obtaining a group offacial objects detected from an image captured by a camera 499 coupledwith a communication device (e.g., media processor 406). For instance,the image can be captured of a viewing area of the communication device(e.g., periodically, responsive to a request from a voice command oruser input, and/or responsive to a triggering event such as detectingmotion and/or sound of a user(s) in the vicinity), where the viewingarea can include any number of users, and the facial objects cancorrespond to the plurality of users. In this example, the communicationsystem 400 can enable determining identification information for each ofthe plurality of users based on the facial objects and identifying agroup of content service systems associated with subscription plans forthe plurality of users based on the identification information.Continuing with this example, the communication system 400 can enabledetermining authentication information for each of the plurality ofusers based on the identification information, and providing theauthentication information to the group of content service systems forpermitting access to a group of media services from the group of contentservice systems. Communication system 400 can enable filtering outredundant media services among the group of media services to generateaggregated media services. The filtering can be based on variouscriteria such as choosing a selected redundant media service from amongthe redundant media services for inclusion in the aggregated mediaservices based on satisfying a quality of service threshold.

The IPTV media system can include a super head-end office (SHO) 410 withat least one super headend office server (SHS) 411 which receives mediacontent from satellite and/or terrestrial communication systems. In thepresent context, media content can represent, for example, audiocontent, moving image content such as 2D or 3D videos, video games,virtual reality content, still image content, and combinations thereof.The SHS server 411 can forward packets associated with the media contentto one or more video head-end servers (VHS) 414 via a network of videohead-end offices (VHO) 412 according to a multicast communicationprotocol.

The VHS 414 can distribute multimedia broadcast content via an accessnetwork 418 to commercial and/or residential buildings 402 housing agateway 404 (such as a residential or commercial gateway). The accessnetwork 418 can represent a group of digital subscriber line accessmultiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a service areainterface that provide broadband services over fiber optical links orcopper twisted pairs 419 to buildings 402. The gateway 404 can usecommunication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 406 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 408 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 407 (such as aninfrared or RF remote controller).

The gateway 404, the media processors 406, and media devices 408 canutilize tethered communication technologies (such as coaxial, powerlineor phone line wiring) or can operate over a wireless access protocolsuch as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth, Zigbee, or other present ornext generation local or personal area wireless network technologies. Byway of these interfaces, unicast communications can also be invokedbetween the media processors 406 and subsystems of the IPTV media systemfor services such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsing an electronicprogramming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.

A satellite broadcast television system 429 can be used in the mediasystem of FIG. 4. The satellite broadcast television system can beoverlaid, operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication system 400. In thisembodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 415 that include mediacontent can be received by a satellite dish receiver 431 coupled to thebuilding 402. Modulated signals received by the satellite dish receiver431 can be transferred to the media processors 406 for demodulating,decoding, encoding, and/or distributing broadcast channels to the mediadevices 408. The media processors 406 can be equipped with a broadbandport to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network 432 to enableinteractive services such as VoD and EPG as described above.

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital cable broadcastdistribution system such as cable TV system 433 can be overlaid,operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system and/or the satelliteTV system as another representative embodiment of communication system400. In this embodiment, the cable TV system 433 can also provideInternet, telephony, and interactive media services.

The subject disclosure can apply to other present or next generationover-the-air and/or landline media content service system.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 230, a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing web portal services over the ISP network 432 towireline media devices 408 or wireless communication devices 416.

Communication system 400 can also provide for all or a portion of thecomputing devices 230 to function as a translation system. Thetranslation system 230 can use computing and communication technology toperform function 461, which can include among other things, determiningauthentication information (e.g., user ID and password) from receivedauthentication data (e.g., facial object) and providing theauthentication information to one or more content service systems 195 toenable media services that may be aggregated to generate an aggregatedmedia services. The media processors 406 and wireless communicationdevices 416 can be provisioned with software function 461 to utilize theservices of translation system 230 for authentication and access to theaggregated media services supplied by one or more of content servicesystems 195. In one embodiment, the mobile communication device 416 canbe passed amongst the users to capture an image of each user so that theimages can be processed to enable the aggregated media services to bedelivered to the mobile device. In this example, the aggregated mediaservices can be shared with other communication devices, such as set topboxes and/or personal computers that are associated with the mobiledevice 416

Multiple forms of media services can be offered to media devices overlandline technologies such as those described above. Additionally, mediaservices can be offered to media devices by way of a wireless accessbase station 417 operating according to common wireless access protocolssuch as Global System for Mobile or GSM, Code Division Multiple Accessor CDMA, Time Division Multiple Access or TDMA, Universal MobileTelecommunications or UMTS, World interoperability for Microwave orWiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, Long Term Evolution or LTE, and soon. Other present and next generation wide area wireless access networktechnologies can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

In one or more embodiments, the aggregated media services can includecommunications via an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network architectureto facilitate the combined services of circuit-switched andpacket-switched systems.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal 502 which canbe hosted by server applications operating from the computing devices230 of the communication system 400 illustrated in FIG. 4. In one ormore embodiments the web portal can be utilized in conjunction with theaggregated media services being provided by the content service systems195. For example, the web portal 502 can enable users to select services(e.g., user(s) desired services) from among available services of thecontent service systems 195 to generate the aggregated media services.In another embodiment, the web portal 502 can enable a user to provisionthe translation system 230 and/or a memory device accessible by themedia device 106, with information that facilitates the authenticationprocess described with respect to method 300. For instance, a user canupload an image or a facial object that can be stored so that a facialpattern recognition comparison can be performed to identify thecorresponding authentication information (e.g., user ID and password) ofthe user. In another embodiment, the web portal 502 can be provided withuser preferences for storage, such as for generating recommendations,billing practices, designating devices that can participate in theaggregated media services, and so forth. In one or more embodiments,apportioned billing can be reviewed at the web portal 502 so that a usercan determine (or approve) the apportioning of the bill, such as basedon user usage or other apportioning techniques.

The web portal 502 can be used for managing services of communicationsystems 400-500. A web page of the web portal 502 can be accessed by aUniform Resource Locator (URL) with an Internet browser such asMicrosoft's Internet Explorer™, Mozilla's Firefox™, Apple's Safari™, orGoogle's Chrome™ using an Internet-capable communication device such asthose described in FIGS. 1-2B. The web portal 502 can be configured, forexample, to access a media processor 106 and services managed therebysuch as a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), a Video on Demand (VoD) catalog,an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG), or a personal catalog (such aspersonal videos, pictures, audio recordings, etc.) stored at the mediaprocessor 106. The web portal 502 can also be used for provisioning IMSservices described earlier, provisioning Internet services, provisioningcellular phone services, and so on.

The web portal 502 can further be utilized to manage and provisionsoftware applications 461-462 to adapt these applications as may bedesired by subscribers and service providers of communication systems100, 200 and 400.

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 600.Communication device 600 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the devices or components of the systemsdepicted in FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B and 4. For example, communication device 600can obtain a first image captured by a camera coupled with the device,where the first image includes a plurality of users. The communicationdevice 600 can apply facial pattern recognition to the first image todetect first facial objects in the first image, where the first facialobjects correspond to the plurality of users. The communication device600 can identify a group of content service systems associated withsubscription plans for the plurality of users, and can provide the firstfacial objects to the group of content service systems forauthentication and access to a group of media services from the group ofcontent service systems. The communication device 600 can provide theaggregated media services at the media device, can obtain a second imagecaptured by the camera, and can apply the facial pattern recognition tothe second image to detect second facial objects in the second image.The communication device 600 can compare the first facial objects withthe second facial objects to detect an additional facial objectcorresponding to an additional user that was not among the plurality ofusers. The communication device 600 can identify an additional contentservice system associated with an additional subscription plan for theadditional user, and can provide the additional facial object to theadditional content service system for authentication and access to anadditional media service from the additional content service system,where the additional media service is included in the aggregated mediaservices to generate adjusted aggregated media services. Thecommunication device 600 can provide the adjusted aggregated mediaservices at the media device.

To enable these features, communication device 600 can comprise awireline and/or wireless transceiver 602 (herein transceiver 602), auser interface (UI) 604, a power supply 614, a location receiver 616, amotion sensor 618, an orientation sensor 620, and a controller 606 formanaging operations thereof. The transceiver 602 can support short-rangeor long-range wireless access technologies such as Bluetooth, ZigBee,WiFi, DECT, or cellular communication technologies, just to mention afew. Cellular technologies can include, for example, CDMA-1×,UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well asother next generation wireless communication technologies as they arise.The transceiver 602 can also be adapted to support circuit-switchedwireline access technologies (such as PSTN), packet-switched wirelineaccess technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP, etc.), and combinationsthereof.

The UI 604 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 608 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device600. The keypad 608 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 600 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth. The keypad 608 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 604 can further include a display610 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 600. In anembodiment where the display 610 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 608 can be presented by way of the display 610 withnavigation features.

The display 610 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a userinterface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, thecommunication device 600 can be adapted to present a user interface withgraphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by a userwith a touch of a finger. The touch screen display 610 can be equippedwith capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology todetect how much surface area of a user's finger has been placed on aportion of the touch screen display. This sensing information can beused to control the manipulation of the GUI elements or other functionsof the user interface. The display 610 can be an integral part of thehousing assembly of the communication device 400 or an independentdevice communicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface(such as a cable) or a wireless interface.

The UI 604 can also include an audio system 612 that utilizes audiotechnology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard inproximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such as speakerphonefor hands free operation). The audio system 612 can further include amicrophone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audiosystem 612 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI604 can further include an image sensor 613 such as a charged coupleddevice (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 614 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the communication device 600 to facilitatelong-range or short-range portable applications. Alternatively, or incombination, the charging system can utilize external power sources suchas DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port orother suitable tethering technologies.

The location receiver 616 can utilize location technology such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS foridentifying a location of the communication device 600 based on signalsgenerated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used forfacilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 618can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, agyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motionof the communication device 600 in three-dimensional space. Theorientation sensor 620 can utilize orientation sensing technology suchas a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device600 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations indegrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The communication device 600 can use the transceiver 602 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, or other wirelessaccess points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival (TOA) or time offlight (TOF) measurements. The controller 606 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits,and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executingcomputer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by theaforementioned components of the communication device 600.

Other components not shown in FIG. 6 can be used in one or moreembodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the communicationdevice 600 can include a reset button (not shown). The reset button canbe used to reset the controller 606 of the communication device 600. Inyet another embodiment, the communication device 600 can also include afactory default setting button positioned, for example, below a smallhole in a housing assembly of the communication device 600 to force thecommunication device 600 to re-establish factory settings. In thisembodiment, a user can use a protruding object such as a pen or paperclip tip to reach into the hole and depress the default setting button.The communication device 600 can also include a slot for adding orremoving an identity module such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)card. SIM cards can be used for identifying subscriber services,executing programs, storing subscriber data, and so forth.

The communication device 600 as described herein can operate with moreor less of the circuit components shown in FIG. 6. These variantembodiments can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

The communication device 600 can be adapted to perform the functions ofthe media device 106, the media processor 406, the media devices 408, orthe portable communication devices 416 of FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B and 4. It willbe appreciated that the communication device 600 can also representother devices that can operate in communication systems 100-200 and 400such as a gaming console and a media player.

The communication device 600 shown in FIG. 6 or portions thereof canserve as a representation of one or more of the devices or components ofFIGS. 1, 2A, 2B and 4. In addition, the controller 606 can be adapted invarious embodiments to perform the functions 461-462.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope of theclaims described below. For example, the aggregated media services canbe provided to a group of communication devices (e.g., a group of mediadevices) at a premises or other location (or multiple locations). Forexample, aggregated media services can be generated as described in theexemplary embodiments based on services available to a group of usersand then the aggregated media services can be made available at apremises such that multiple media services are concurrently beingutilized at different media devices 106 of the premises. As an example,the aggregated media services can include video-on-demand, video gamingand video conferencing services. Based on these aggregated mediaservices, one or more first users can watch a movie at a set top box ofthe premises while one or more second users play a video game at agaming console of the premises, and additionally while one or more thirdusers participate in a video conference via a mobile phone present atthe premises. This example can include any number of communicationdevices providing any number of services (of any type of communicationservices) via the aggregated media services. In this example, thebilling for services can be processed in a number of different ways suchas being apportioned to multiple users based on their individual use ofthe services which can result in an unequal apportioning or beingapportioned equally to each of the users whose available services wereutilized in generating the aggregated media services.

In another example, the aggregated media services can be generated asdescribed in the exemplary embodiments and utilized in more than onelocation. For instance, the aggregated media services can be madeavailable at the premises where the authentication information (e.g.,facial objects from image(s)) was captured and also made available atpremises of all or some of the users (e.g., visiting users) whoseavailable services are utilized in generating the aggregated mediaservices. In another embodiment, one or more other locations can bedesignated (e.g., via user input, user preferences, subscriber plans,and so forth) for delivery of the aggregated media services. Time limitsor other triggering mechanisms can be implemented to cease the access tothe aggregated media services, such as ceasing the aggregated mediaservices at the other locations when the aggregated media services areno longer being utilized at the primary location (where theauthentication information was obtained).

In another example, recommendations for media services (e.g., ingenerating the aggregated media services and/or in selecting a use of aservice that has been included in the aggregated media services) can bedetermined based on the captured image(s) or other monitored activity ofthe users. The recommendations can be generated locally, such as by themedia device 106, and/or can be generated remotely by another device(e.g., the translation system 230 and/or a content service system 195).As an example, image pattern recognition can be applied to a capturedimage to detect that one or more users of the group of users are wearingfootball jerseys associated with a particular team (e.g., in addition todetecting the facial objects of the group of users for generating theauthentication information). A recommendation can be generated toinclude as part of the aggregated media services access to a footballchannel broadcasting the team's game, or the recommendation can be topresent the football channel that has already been included in theaggregated media services.

Other monitored activity of the group of users can also be utilized forgenerating recommendations. For instance, voice recordings can begenerated and analyzed for conversations between the users where theanalysis determines subject matters of interest. As an example, thegroup of users can be having a discussion regarding a movie that theywould like to see which is still being played in the movie theatres. Thediscussion (or parts thereof) can be captured and analyzed to identifythe movie being discussed. A recommendation can then be generated basedon the movie, such as related movies available via the aggregated mediaservices, other movies having the same actor(s) that are available viathe aggregated media services, internet access (via the aggregated mediaservices) to a website that provides discounted tickets or a review ofthe movie, and so forth.

In another example of the monitored activity utilized for generatingrecommendations, use of the aggregated media services can be monitoredand analyzed to generate recommendations for other services to be addedor deleted from the aggregated media services. For example, the group ofusers can be watching a movie that is made available via the aggregatedmedia services and based on that movie a recommendation for adding videogame services to the aggregated media services can be generated wherethe video game services includes a video game related to the movie. Asanother example, a lack of use of a service in the aggregated mediaservices can result in generating a recommendation to remove the servicefrom the aggregated media services. In another example, user input at amedia device (e.g., drafting an email, a words spoken during a voicecall, text of a SMS message, and so forth) can be analyzed (e.g.,identifying a subject matter or a user's desire) to determine arecommendation as to adding a service to the aggregated media servicesand/or utilizing a service that is already included in the aggregatedmedia services.

In one or more embodiments, a selection and/or filtering from amongavailable services can be based on a cost analysis which is performedwith or without user intervention. For example, a determination can bemade that one of the services that the user(s) desire or are otherwiserequesting is internet access at a threshold speed. A cost determinationcan be made that detects that a first internet access service satisfiesthe speed threshold but is at a lower cost than a second internet accessservice that also satisfies the speed threshold. The first internetaccess service can be selected (resulting in the second internet accessservice being filtered out) based on the detection of the lower cost.The selection can be automatic (e.g., based on stored user preferences)and/or can be based on user input, such as presenting the filteringoption along with the cost differential.

In one or more embodiments, as new user(s) enter a room, more serviceoptions can be added that are associated with the new user. Forinstance, a group of users can be utilizing aggregated services that areassociated with one or more members of the group. A new user may enterthe room who has access to a unique service that is not included in theaggregated services. An option can be presented that notifies the usersthat this new service is now available due to the entry of the new userinto the viewing area. If selected, the new service can be added to theaggregated services to generated adjusted aggregated services. The newservice can be of various types (e.g., voice, video and/or data).

Other embodiments can be used in the subject disclosure.

It should be understood that devices described in the exemplaryembodiments can be in communication with each other via various wirelessand/or wired methodologies. The methodologies can be links that aredescribed as coupled, connected and so forth, which can includeunidirectional and/or bidirectional communication over wireless pathsand/or wired paths that utilize one or more of various protocols ormethodologies, where the coupling and/or connection can be direct (e.g.,no intervening processing device) and/or indirect (e.g., an intermediaryprocessing device such as a router).

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 700 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods describe above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as the media device 106, the translation system230, the media processor 406, the mobile device 416 and other devices orcomponents of FIGS. 1-6 to perform various functions includingidentifying user ID and passwords from facial objects of a group ofusers and aggregating media services for a group of content servicesystems associated with the group of users. In some embodiments, themachine may be connected (e.g., using a network 726) to other machines.In a networked deployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of aserver or a client user machine in server-client user networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the subject disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 700 may include a processor (or controller) 702(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU,or both), a main memory 704 and a static memory 706, which communicatewith each other via a bus 708. The computer system 700 may furtherinclude a display unit 710 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flatpanel, or a solid state display. The computer system 700 may include aninput device 712 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 714 (e.g.,a mouse), a disk drive unit 716, a signal generation device 718 (e.g., aspeaker or remote control) and a network interface device 720. Indistributed environments, the embodiments described in the subjectdisclosure can be adapted to utilize multiple display units 710controlled by two or more computer systems 700. In this configuration,presentations described by the subject disclosure may in part be shownin a first of the display units 710, while the remaining portion ispresented in a second of the display units 710.

The disk drive unit 716 may include a tangible computer-readable storagemedium 722 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 724) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 724 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 704, the static memory 706, and/or within theprocessor 702 during execution thereof by the computer system 700. Themain memory 704 and the processor 702 also may constitute tangiblecomputer-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices that can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Application specific integrated circuits andprogrammable logic array can use downloadable instructions for executingstate machines and/or circuit configurations to implement embodiments ofthe subject disclosure. Applications that may include the apparatus andsystems of various embodiments broadly include a variety of electronicand computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions in two ormore specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with relatedcontrol and data signals communicated between and through the modules,or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Thus, theexample system is applicable to software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure, theoperations or methods described herein are intended for operation assoftware programs or instructions running on or executed by a computerprocessor or other computing device, and which may include other formsof instructions manifested as a state machine implemented with logiccomponents in an application specific integrated circuit or fieldprogrammable array. Furthermore, software implementations (e.g.,software programs, instructions, etc.) can include, but not limited to,distributed processing or component/object distributed processing,parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also beconstructed to implement the methods described herein. It is furthernoted that a computing device such as a processor, a controller, a statemachine or other suitable device for executing instructions to performoperations or methods may perform such operations directly or indirectlyby way of one or more intermediate devices directed by the computingdevice.

While the tangible computer-readable storage medium 622 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe subject disclosure.

The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shall accordinglybe taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such asa memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible computer-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g.,RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee), andlong-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE) can be used bycomputer system 700.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Theexemplary embodiments can include combinations of features and/or stepsfrom multiple embodiments. Other embodiments may be utilized and derivedtherefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Figuresare also merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certainproportions thereof may be exaggerated, while others may be minimized.Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated toachieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodimentsshown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations orvariations of various embodiments. Combinations of the aboveembodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein,can be used in the subject disclosure.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A server comprising: a memory that storescomputer instructions; and a processor coupled with the memory, whereinthe processor, responsive to executing the computer instructions,performs operations comprising: obtaining a group of facial objectsdetected from an image captured by a camera coupled with a media device,wherein the image captures a viewing area of the media device, whereinthe viewing area includes a plurality of users, and wherein the facialobjects correspond to the plurality of users; determining identificationinformation for each of the plurality of users based on the facialobjects; accessing a history of past content service systems that wereauthenticated at the media device; identifying a subset of a group ofcontent service systems to which authentication information will beprovided based on the identification information and the history of pastcontent service systems, the group of content service systems beingmanaged by service providers that provide a group of media services tothe plurality of users according to subscription plans for the pluralityof users; determining authentication information for each of theplurality of users based on the identification information; providingthe authentication information to the subset of the group of contentservice systems for enabling access to the subset of the group of mediaservices from the group of content service systems; filtering outredundant media services among the subset of the group of media servicesto generate aggregated media services, wherein the filtering out of theredundant media services includes choosing a selected redundant mediaservice from among the redundant media services for inclusion in theaggregated media services based on satisfying a quality of servicethreshold; and enabling the media device to access the aggregated mediaservices.
 2. The server of claim 1, wherein the operations furthercomprise: monitoring a quality of service for the selected redundantmedia service during utilization of the selected redundant media serviceby the media device; detecting the quality of service for the selectedredundant media service failing to satisfy the quality of servicethreshold; and responsive to the detecting, replacing the selectedredundant media service with another selected redundant media servicefrom among the redundant media services that were filtered out.
 3. Theserver of claim 2, wherein the monitoring of the quality of serviceincludes monitoring an image quality and a stream quality for theselected redundant media service.
 4. The server of claim 1, wherein theoperations further comprise: determining a fee for use of the aggregatedmedia services at the media device; apportioning the fee among theplurality of users to generate a group of apportioned fees; andproviding the group of apportioned fees to service provider billingsystems associated with the subscription plans for the plurality ofusers.
 5. The server of claim 4, where the apportioning of the fee isunequal.
 6. The server of claim 1, wherein the enabling of the mediadevice to access the aggregated media services comprises the processorproviding an internet protocol address of the media device to each ofthe group of content service systems, wherein the aggregated mediaservices are provided to the media device without providing theaggregated media services by way of the server.
 7. The server of claim1, wherein the filtering out of the redundant media services includesselecting from among the redundant media services based on a cost ofservice.
 8. The server of claim 1, wherein the operations furthercomprise: receiving the image from the media device; and performingfacial pattern recognition on the image to obtain the group of facialobjects detected from the image.
 9. The server of claim 1, wherein theobtaining of the group of facial objects detected from the image isbased on facial pattern recognition performed by the media device. 10.The server of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:obtaining an additional facial object detected from an additional imagecaptured by the camera; comparing the additional facial object with thegroup of facial objects to detect a new facial object corresponding toan additional user that was not among the plurality of users;determining additional identification information for the additionaluser based on the new facial object; identifying an additional contentservice system associated with an additional subscription plan for theadditional user based on the additional identification information;determining additional authentication information for the additionaluser based on the additional identification information; and providingthe additional authentication information to the additional contentservice system for enabling access to an additional media service fromthe additional content service system, wherein the additional mediaservice is added to the aggregated media services.
 11. The server ofclaim 1, wherein operations further comprise: accessing user profilesincluding user preferences associated with the plurality of users;accessing monitored viewing history associated with the plurality ofusers; generating a services recommendation based on the userpreferences and the monitored viewing history; and providing theservices recommendation to the media device for presentation.
 12. Theserver of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving aselection of target services from among the services recommendation; andadjusting the aggregated media services based on the selection of targetservices.
 13. A media device comprising: a memory that stores computerinstructions; and a processor coupled with the memory, wherein theprocessor, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performsoperations comprising: obtaining a first image captured by a cameracoupled with the media device, wherein the first image captures aviewing area of the media device, wherein the viewing area includes aplurality of users; applying facial pattern recognition to the firstimage to detect first facial objects in the first image, wherein thefirst facial objects correspond to the plurality of users; accessing ahistory of past content service systems that were authenticated at themedia device; identifying a subset of a group of content service systemsto which authentication information will be provided based on the firstfacial objects and the history of past content service systems, whereinthe group of content service systems is managed by service providersthat provide a group of media services to the plurality of usersaccording to subscription plans for the plurality of users; providingthe first facial objects to the group of content service systems forauthentication and access to the group of media services from the groupof content service systems, wherein redundant media services among thegroup of media services are filtered out to generate aggregated mediaservices, wherein the filtering out of the redundant media servicesincludes choosing a selected redundant media service from among theredundant media services for inclusion in the aggregated media servicesbased on satisfying a quality of service threshold including imagequality and stream quality; and providing the aggregated media servicesat the media device subject to a time limitation.
 14. The media deviceof claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise: obtaining a secondimage captured by the camera, wherein the second image captures theviewing area; applying the facial pattern recognition to the secondimage to detect second facial objects in the second image; comparing thefirst facial objects with the second facial objects to detect anadditional facial object corresponding to an additional user that wasnot among the plurality of users; identifying an additional contentservice system associated with an additional subscription plan for theadditional user; providing the additional facial object to theadditional content service system for authentication and access to anadditional media service from the additional content service system,wherein the additional media service is included in the aggregated mediaservices to generate adjusted aggregated media services; and providingthe adjusted aggregated media services at the media device.
 15. Themedia device of claim 13, wherein the identifying of the group ofcontent service systems further comprises receiving user input at theprocessor identifying the group of content service systems.
 16. Themedia device of claim 13, wherein the identifying of the subset of thegroup of content service systems includes the processor accessing amonitored viewing history associated with the plurality of users todetermine previously utilized content service systems.
 17. A methodcomprising: obtaining, by a server, facial objects detected from animage captured by a camera coupled with a media device, wherein thefacial objects correspond to a plurality of users; determining, by theserver, authentication information for each of the plurality of usersbased on the facial objects; accessing, by the server, a history of pastcontent service systems that were authenticated at the media device;selecting, by the server, a subset of content service systems from agroup of content service systems to which authentication informationwill be provided according to the facial objects and the history of pastcontent service systems; providing, by the server, the authenticationinformation to the subset of content service systems for enabling themedia device to access aggregated media services from the subset of thecontent service systems; filtering out, by the server, redundant mediaservices among a group of media services provided by the content servicesystems to generate the aggregated media services, wherein the filteringout of the redundant media services includes choosing a selectedredundant media service from among the redundant media services forinclusion in the aggregated media services; determining, by the server,a fee for utilization of the aggregated media services at the mediadevice; apportioning the fee among the plurality of users to generateapportioned fees; and providing the apportioned fees to service providerbilling systems associated with the content service systems.
 18. Themethod of claim 17, comprising: determining, by the server,identification information for each of the plurality of users based onthe facial objects; and wherein the selecting comprises identifying thesubset of the content service systems based on the identificationinformation.
 19. The method of claim 17, comprising: obtaining, by theserver, an additional facial object detected from an additional imagecaptured by the camera; comparing the additional facial object with thefacial objects to detect a new facial object corresponding to anadditional user that was not among the plurality of users; determiningadditional authentication information for the additional user based onthe new facial object; and providing the additional authenticationinformation to an additional content service system for enabling accessto an additional media service, wherein the additional media service isadded to the aggregated media services.